Forever Aeris
by Celas Victoria
Summary: A year has passed since Sephiroth was defeated, but not everyone is content with the way things are. One young man won't let go of the past, and an intriguing opportunity from an unexpected source might be his last hope for happiness. *chapter 5 now up*
1. Building Bridges

I stayed up way too late thinking this up AND this is my first fic, so... be nice!!!!!!  This is based upon the idea of there having been a way to resurrect Aeris in the game (before that was edited out) but because I don't know how you were supposed to do that, I'm just making up my own way.  But then again, that's what it's all about, right?

Disclaimer:  I do not own FF7.  If I did, there would be some MAJOR revisions to the story.  But then this fanfic would never have existed, so it's just as well.****

**I.  Building Bridges**

            He saw her through the mist, a slender silhouette with beautiful long hair and dancing green eyes standing not three yards away from him.  Giggling, she turned, saying, " follow me, Cloud!"  He followed, running as fast as he could, trying with everything in him to catch up to her.  But it was to no avail.  She ran deeper and deeper into the mist as he followed, getting a little further ahead of him each minute.  Then, she was lost in the mist.  Gone.  Again, like always.  Like she was forever gone to him now.  

"AERIIIIIIIIIIIS!!!!!!!!!!" 

            He jerked awake with a start, startled from his sleep by his own yell of helpless fury.  Sighing, he pushed his spiky blonde hair out of his deep blue eyes and got out of bed.  He wouldn't be able to sleep again, anyway.  He tugged on his clothes and descended the spiral shell-like staircase and walked outside, grabbing his Ultima Weapon from its customary place hanging on the wall.  If he wasn't going to sleep, he might as well practice with it.  Not that there was really any purpose to the practice anymore.  They had saved the planet, Sephiroth was gone, and nothing even remotely threatening lived anywhere in the area.  The only reason he practiced these days was to have something he could do to keep the depression away, just a little longer.  Aeris...

            He always dreamed of her, these days.  Most recently it had been the mist dream, not always, but... it was always of her, whatever it was.  Her laughing, her praying in the chapel in the sector five slums, her dragging him around at the Gold Saucer... always Aeris.  A whole year... hard to believe it had really passed.  It seemed like just yesterday that they had had that whole fiasco with Sephiroth and the planet.  Just yesterday, that Aeris had been alive.  The whole group had gone their separate ways now:  Barret returned to Corel to help rebuild, Red XIII returned to Cosmo Canyon to study the planet with his grandfather, Vincent off to places unknown for reasons he kept to himself, Cait Sith in Junon, powered down for most of the time, since Reeve spent all his time as the president of Shinra now, Cid returned to Rocket Town with the promise from Reeve that at the first opportunity they would reopen the space program, Yuffie returned to Wutai, and Tifa had gone home to Nibelheim.  She had asked him go with her, but he had chosen to remain here, in the City of the Ancients… with Aeris.

            His days passed like a blur here, one blending into another.  He hardly did anything anymore, except practice... there was little else TO do.  The silence had bothered him at first, but he was now accustomed to it, even fond of it.  He rarely left the City, only about once every two weeks to go to Bone Village to stock up on food.  He never got visitors, which really wasn't too surprising, since no one could get through the Sleeping Forest but him because he still had the Lunar Harp.  

            He snapped himself out of his reverie and opened the door, walking outside into full sunlight.  Surprising, actually... this was the latest he'd managed to sleep recently.  He stretched, warming up, and finally began the familiar exercises that were second nature to him by now.  He just closed his mind off and let his body do the work.  By the time he finished, about thirty minutes later, the sun was high in the sky and it was promising to be a hot day.  Tired, but not hungry enough to want breakfast yet, he decided to visit Aeris while he cooled down.  As he walked the path to the pool where she lay, he noticed that his feet had almost worn the stones smooth from constantly walking here.  The observation brought a small smile to his lips, but it was a sad, bitter one.

He had arrived.  Walking over, he sat down by the pool, at the same spot he always sat, staring into the water.  So close, he could see her there... and yet so far beyond his reach now.  He studied her lovely features, somehow perfectly preserved in the water, her long brown hair spread out behind her, pink dress looking the way it always had, except for the hole in the stomach which made his blood run cold even now, her beautiful green eyes closed forever.  He sighed heavily, closing his eyes to shut out the sight before it made him weep uncontrollably.

            "So what do you intend to do about it?  Clearly neither your mind nor your heart has changed during this past year.  So what do you intend to do?" a voice asked softly, a hint of curiosity in it.  Cloud jerked around, his hand on Ultima Weapon's hilt when he came face to face with the person who had spoken.  Dark hair falling a little past his shoulders, dark eyes visible above a red wrap that covered part of his face, dark clothing and a cape, a gun at his hip... 

            "Vincent?!"  Cloud's voice held both shock and disbelief.  "But, the Forest, it should have... how could you..." he babbled, only vaguely coherently.  

"I'll tell you in a minute," replied Vincent, "but first answer my question."  

"What do you mean, what do I intend to do?  What can I do?" he asked, a little confused.  

"Well, the way I see it, you have four options."  

"Which are?" he asked now starting to get irritated as well as confused.  He didn't like his solitude being interrupted. 

"Number one... is to continue living the way you have been.  However, I don't consider that an option.  So let's move onto the others."  Ignoring both Cloud's indignant look and half-formed protests, he continued.  "Number two is to go out into the world and find yourself a real life, and leave everything from the past in the past.  No, don't even argue yet, I know you don't like that one, but I'm just listing them as I see them.  Option three is to join Tifa in Nibelheim and apologize for not seeing her for so long and build a new life there.  And your last option...lies with Aeris."

            "Aeris is gone," Cloud interrupted, his voice a little harsher than was really necessary.  "And me 'n Tifa... I dunno about that.  I feel nothing for her, having been harshly disillusioned from my 'memories' of our 'childhood friendship.'  I don't think that she's really the kind of person I could love, anyway... there's too much distance between us now.  Perhaps with time we could grow to be friends, but... no more than that."

            Vincent nodded.  "Good, that's what I expected you to say... but about Aeris..."  

"There is nothing I can do about Aeris!" Cloud yelled, fighting back tears for the second time that day.  

"Yes, there is.  Listen to me.  While you've been moping for this past year," here he held up his had to forestall Cloud's protests, "I've been searching for a way for you to bring Aeris back..."  

"Vincent, stop," Cloud cut in, "this is pointless.  There is no way.  Aeris is gone and if there had ever been a chance for Tifa and me, it's gone by now.  I've separated myself from her for too long, there's no way... I've burned my bridges behind me."  

"This has nothing to do with Tifa.  I've been up on the Northern continent and heard rumors about an item...the Phoenix Staff, a mysterious rod with phoenix tears and blood forged into it.  It supposedly has the power to restore dead, but it only works once..."  

"Rumors.  Nothing more... I can't go off on a wild hunt like that... it'll only raise my hopes, just to have them crushed again..." 

"So you're telling me you're just letting the opportunity slip away?!  Because you're too afraid too try?  In that case, I'm sorry for wasting your time.  I though you cared enough for her that even the chance to help her would be enough."  The first two sentences were shouted, but the last two were tinged with quiet disgust.  

"Why do you care, anyway?!" Cloud yelled in return, stung by the remark.  

"I'm giving you the same chance that I had... with Lucrecia.  To change things, and not let the chances just slip through your fingers for no better reason than fear... Cloud, you may have burned your bridges behind you, but I am offering you tools to build one again.  But I can't build it for you... the choice is ultimately yours, and I hope for your peace of mind that you've made one you can live with.  Sorry to bother you, then."  He turned and began to walk away.  

"Vincent!  Wait!"  "What?"  "Umm... can I borrow your phone?  I kinda got rid of mine a year ago, and, um… I need to contact Cid... I think I need a ride to the northern continent."  

            Vincent actually smiled, something that surprised him.  "No need to call Cid...how did you think I got here?  Come, you can ask him for that ride personally."  For the first time in a little more than a year, Cloud let a real smile reach his face. But before he left, he turned back to the pool. 

"Wait for me, Aeris," he said softly, "I'll be back soon, I promise.  I'm just off to go build bridges..." he smiled again, and then turned and followed Vincent at a run.  "Wait for me!!!!"****


	2. Legend of the Kiari

Thank you all of you nice people who reviewed, I really needed that!  And since I have nothing better to do, I might as well write another chapter.  It'll probably be a little shorter than the first one, though…

II.   Legend of the Kiari 

Cloud followed Vincent out of the little clearing with the pool at a run, catching up with him when Vincent stopped by a ladder leading up to the deck of the Highwind.  Without checking to see if Cloud was still following, he started climbing.  Cloud shrugged and trailed after, just glad that Vincent's pace was a little more reasonable now.  Upon reaching the deck, he saw Vincent already walking off towards the control room.  Cloud continued his pursuit of the dark man, wondering if he was going to have to keep this up all the way to the northern continent.  He entered the control room only a couple of steps behind.

"Cloud!" shouted five different voices.  Surprised, he took stock of the room.  Cait Sith was sitting just to the left of the door, not turned on.  Cid was behind the controls as usual, and had a mischievous grin on his face.  Red XIII was getting up from the floor and stretching.  Yuffie was bouncing up and down in place, Barret was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, and Tifa was looking at him with a slight frown.

"Cloud, that took you forever!  Don't tell me you were giving Vincent grief over this…" Tifa said, still frowning and looking rather stern.  "I didn't think it would take you that long to make up your mind!  There weren't that many choices, and everyone here already knew what you would choose…"

"Yeah, it was even obvious to me…" Yuffie said with a snicker.  Cloud looked around at them with surprise.  He had thought it was just Cid and Vincent, but this…?

"What are you all doing here?" he asked, with the confusion evident in his voice.

"We've been worried about you!  What'd you expect?  I think I speak for all of us when I say I haven't heard from you in a year, so when Vincent called us all together to tell us what he'd heard up north, we decided to come visit.  This kind of depression isn't healthy, and it doesn't suit you, so we've come to shake you out of it!"  Tifa said, now smiling cheerfully.

"Uh… thanks guys…" he stammered, honestly surprised.  He hadn't thought that they would worry… heck, he just hadn't thought at all.  "I appreciate it…"

"Oh, s'okay, think nothing of it!  'Sides, there's bound to be materia up north, nyuk nyuk nyuk… let's get started already!" Yuffie put in impatiently.

"Might I offer a suggestion?" Red XII asked politely.  "Vincent, even you have to admit that the rumors are rather… vague.  Perhaps it would be a good idea to head to Junon and see if Reeve can find any information in the Shinra computer banks on this…"

"Probably a good idea.  Be a damn waste of time to go all the way there just to wander around lost, especially 'cause we have a time limit," Barret added.

"Time limit?" Cloud asked, very alarmed.

"I did mention that it can only be used once.  If someone else finds it first and uses it…" Vincent trailed off ominously.

"Then this'll all be pointless.  So without further ado, let's get this show on the road!" Cid said, grinning wider than ever and reaching for the controls.

"NOOOOOOO!!! I'M STILL STANDING UP!!!  WAAAAAIIIIIIIIIT!!!" wailed Yuffie with distress.  Too late, because Cid was already operating the controls and the Highwind was taking off at incredible speeds.  "Urk…"

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Only a few hours later, the Highwind stopped just outside the Shinra building.  "Everybody out!  We're here!" Cid called cheerfully.  Everyone started getting up slowly, except for Yuffie, who bolted upright and ran outside, wavering just a little unsteadily on her feet.

"Fresh air!" came the cheerful whoop, and all the companions exchanged amused glances.  They then proceeded to follow Yuffie outside.  Walking into the Shinra building brought back old memories, but Cloud blocked them out for now.  They didn't hurt as much as they normally would have, at least, thinking about how he might soon be seeing Aeris again.  They took the elevator, stopping only once at a desk to ask for directions to Reeve's office.  After a little bit of searching, they found it the door and knocked just to be polite. 

"Door's open!" came the somewhat muffled response from inside.  They all grinned and walked inside, knowing they weren't expected.  Reeve was sitting behind his desk, looking rather tired and worn, with his dark hair just a little rumpled.  "Ah!  What a pleasant surprise!  I haven't seen any of you in…"

"'Bout a year now…" Barret muttered.

"Yes, exactly.  But something tells me you guys didn't visit just to see how I was doing.  So, what's going on?  Come in, come in, sit down," he said, making vague gestures at the chairs around the desk.

"Does that offer extend to us, too?" enquired a familiar drawling voice from the doorway as the gang was seated.  "Haven't seen any of you in a while… maybe that means something interesting's finally gonna happen…" Reno added, sounding hopeful.  Rude and Elena were standing behind him, along with another girl that none of them recognized who was looking a little confused but rather fascinated at the proceedings.  

"Can we stop you?" Barret asked in a growl, glaring at all of them.  

"Probably not," Reno said with a disarming smile, and walked in and seated himself with the other three following.  "So what gives?  Why're you all here?" he asked.  

"Just a second, who's she?" asked Tifa, looking curiously at the girl that none of them recognized.  She was a slightly short and rather slender, looking to be not yet eighteen years old, with long dark blonde hair tied back in a braid and smoky gray-blue eyes.  

"She's the newest Turk," Elena said, "she was appointed in case of emergencies since Tseng…" she trailed off.  Clearly she still felt the loss of the Turk, but not nearly as sharply as she had a year ago.  The girl patted her shoulder, looking sympathetic.  Elena ignored it, not willing to admit that she would need or want comfort.  "Her name's Katsako.  Katsako Mirumoto."  At that the girl smiled and waved cheerfully at the whole group, and then seated herself along with the rest of the Turks.

"I'm still waiting for my explanation," said Reno, starting to sound a little exasperated.

Cloud sighed.  "Well, as far as I can tell, this is what's going on…"

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Not too much later, the explanation was finished and Reeve was running a computer search for all pertinent information.  "Ahhhh…" he said.

"What? You found something?" eleven excited voices yelped at once.

"Sure looks like it.  Check and see for yourselves…"

They all glanced eagerly at the screen.  It said:

"At the very tip of the northern continent lies a small village, home to a tribe of people known as the Kiari, which in their language translates to 'guardian.'  They are a resilient people, surviving without any outside help or the use of mako energy.  They are widely known for their superstition, toughness, and combat skills.  The legend regarding their name says that ages ago, there lived a tribe of Ancients, or Cetra.  These Cetra had one elder whom they revered above all else, almost to the point of worshipping him as a god.  He was immensely powerful, and was best known for two achievements: the creation of their city which floated on the ocean, very near to the place that the Kiari now call home, and the forging of the legendary 'Phoenix Staff.'  It was said that he summoned the father of all phoenixes for this endeavor, but how he managed to secure both blood and tears from it is completely unknown.  He then forged those two items into the Phoenix Staff.  However, because of his age, the exertion of the forging tired him too greatly, and once the staff was completed, he died.  It is rumored that the city he had created died with him; sinking to the bottom of the ocean it had once floated on, where it supposedly remains to this day, although that is unconfirmed.  The remaining Cetra fled the sinking city and came to live with the human tribe that had settled on the shores of the ocean.  Over time, the two mingled, and the end result appears to be the tribe we now know as Kiari.  Because their sunken city is now the tombstone to their great leader, the site is considered holy, and they guard it from intruders along with the Phoenix Staff, which is their treasure."

"Great.  Now we have a definite location, but it doesn't look like this is going to be easy… I doubt that they're gonna feel too charitable towards us if we charge in there and say cheerfully, 'hi, we're taking the great treasure you've guarded for centuries, have a nice day,'" Cloud grumbled unhappily.  Although he was putting on a tough front, his mind was wheeling.  They would have to fight off a whole village?  What if they lost?  What if the Phoenix Staff wasn't actually in the sunken city?  What if the sunken city didn't really exist?  What if the Phoenix Staff itself, his last hope, didn't really exist?  What if…  He halted himself abruptly and forcefully.  There was no way to find the answer without actually going to see for himself, and until all his options were expended, he was not going to surrender his hope.  His resolve firm once more, he turned his mind back to the here and now.

"Ah, it can't be all that bad… besides, anything's better than hanging around here, going out of your mind from boredom…" Reno put in.

"Does that mean you want to come too?" Barret asked, definitely not sounding happy about this.

"Well, can't let you guys have all the fun!  And it's not like there's anything to be done here!" he said, looking completely unperturbed with Barret's hostility.  "Besides, you'll probably need our help…"  At this, Barret looked positively murderous.  He started to rise before Tifa grabbed his arm and hissed a couple words in his ear.  He scowled ferociously at all four Turks, but reclined in his seat once more and held his peace.

"Don't see why not," Cid said, "after all, I guess we can use all the help we could get…"

"Great!  It's settled then!  When do we leave?" Reno asked cheerfully.

"I'm not sure about this…" Katsako said, speaking for the first time.  "After all, a whole tribe of them and only eleven of us…"

"Twelve," said Reeve.  Kat raised her eyebrows, but shrugged helplessly, seeing no other way out.

"You did qualify to be a Turk," pointed out Elena, "you shouldn't have a thing to worry about!"

"Yeah…" she agreed faintly, still not looking happy.

"Alright, we leave first thing tomorrow, ok?" asked Tifa, "we need time to plan and get well-rested for this, and the Turks need to pack, so let's take a little break right now to let them do that.  Meet back here in twenty minutes, ok you guys?"  They nodded and headed off in their separate directions.  As they were leaving, Reeve grabbed Reno's arm.

"Just a second… that new girl… can she fight?" he asked, sounding just a little concerned.

"Her record says that she's an expert with guns," Reno replied, "and damn fast too.  That's why we chose her.  I think she'll be fine… from what I can tell, it's probably just that she's never been on a mission before, so she's nervous.  She should be just fine."

"Alright," said Reeve, sitting back.  "That's all I needed to know.  You should probably go pack too."  Reno nodded and left, leaving the room silent as they all brooded, all wondering about the same thing; just how strong were the Kiari, and was there any way to get by this without fighting them?

"This is not going to be easy…" 

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Well?  Well?  Did you like it?  Do you want another chapter?  Review!  I live for reviews!  And I really was expecting it to be shorter…


	3. Highwind Down

Ok, there are two reasons for me re-writing this chapter.  The first and lesser reason is the lack of reviews and therefore the consequent lack of enthusiasm for this chapter.  However, this only confirmed my own personal opinion that something was missing in this chapter.  The second, and significantly more pressing reason to me, is a lack of personal satisfaction.  If I'm not happy with this chapter, I won't be able to write the next one, so I have to revise it.  Anyway, please read and review and work with me here people!  I'm really trying, and I put a lot of work into this, so hopefully this effort will be a little better than the last one.  

III. Highwind Down 

They had all spent a relaxing evening discussing plans for the best approach north.  Obviously, the easiest thing was to take the airship, but it was also perhaps not the subtlest approach.  It was finally decided that they would fly as close as they could without actually being spotted and then land and walk from there.  The problem of how to get into the sunken city itself was pushed aside, as there was no visible route through the shallow water surrounding the spot for the submarine.  After reminiscing cheerfully for a while, they all retired to their beds with the plan to make an early start the next morning.

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It was a motley crew that gathered at the Highwind in the pale pre-dawn light, all of them looking rather displeased with the unholy hour at which they had been forced to awaken.  All of them, that is, except for Vincent and Red XII, who were back to their usual indifferent selves, Kat, who swore that it this was the best time of day, and Tifa, who was trying resolutely to be cheerful despite her exhaustion.  All of them boarded the airship and set off fairly uneventfully, save a minor incident where Yuffie came to the unhappy realization that no time is a good time to try to steal materia from a Turk, particularly not early morning if they are not in a good mood.  

The ride was reasonably peaceful, less so after Yuffie stopped glaring at Reno long enough to realize that she was on the airship again and get very sick, but everyone took her whining with remarkable good humor considering how early it was.  Red XII was stretched out catching up on his sleep.  Tifa, Barret, Cloud, and Vincent were talking.  Cait Sith was trying to comfort Yuffie. The Turks (with one exception) seemed to be in some sort of group huddle, and Kat, visibly impressed, was watching wide-eyed as Cid explained the controls to her as he piloted.  Things were pleasant if somewhat boring.  Cloud's mind, however, was not on the conversation he was supposed to be participating in.  Despite all his resolutions, he found himself worrying.  He resigned himself to the idea that he probably wouldn't stop until he saw Aeris living again, but that didn't seem to be enough to set his mind at ease.  The aforementioned mind, completely ignoring all requests from its owner, began pondering yet again all the obstacles in the way to his goal.  The Kiari, the fact that the city was underwater, actually finding the staff even if they could get into the city… all of these and many more things troubled him.  He had the strangest vague feeling, almost a sixth sense, that there were going to be far more obstacles than the ones he had already thought of. He also had an eerie sense of impending danger…  But that wasn't important!  He wasn't going to let anything get in his way!  Nothing would stand between Aeris and him, not now, and not ever again…

"Cloud!  Hey, Cloud!  Have you heard a single thing I just said?" Tifa asked with exasperation heavy in her voice.  "Honestly, sometimes I swear your mind just-"  

Then a shudder shook the Highwind, as if something very large had nudged it gently in the side, jostling everyone and startling them out of their respective activities.  

"What the-?!" yelled Cid as he grabbed at the controls, "that-"  He was cut off as the ship shook again, more violently this time.  They all ran to the window to look for the source of the disturbance just in time to see a tail tip vanishing from view.  Startled exclamations came from everyone, and all of them went several shades paler.  

Cloud's mind was reeling, definitely not pleased at being right about his premonitions of danger, and getting irritated at his mind's smug litany of, "I told you so."

"What in the name of all things good and holy would be larger than the Highwind, flying, and think we're a really fun toy?" asked Tifa, trying to cover the worry in her voice with irritation.

"Why does something tell me the answer is NOT going to make me happy?" asked Yuffie, sounding very distressed.

"Where's Kat?" enquired Elena, looking around curiously for her fellow Turk.  "She was here just a second ago…"  Suddenly the ship rocked from side to side much more violently than before, and a crunching sound came from the back of the airship.  The Highwind started seesawing back and forth erratically, to the accompaniment of several explosive expletives from Cid.

"That @#$% is goin' after the rudder!  I won't be able to hold control much longer!"  A few quick glances were exchanged, and the entire crew, excluding Cid, charged to the deck to confront whatever was charging the ship.  Everyone burst out of the door to the top at the same time, and all of them stopped dead at the sight that greeted them. 

A huge creature floated alongside the airship, barely three yards away.  It was humongous, easily longer than the Highwind, not even counting the tail.  It was an oily blue-black color with scales that glimmered in the sun, something between a snake and a dragon, with eyes the rusted color of dried blood.  It seemed to swim through the air rather than fly, having no wings.  Its body had a streamlined shaped that made the process appear effortless and had only two legs, closer to the front than the back, equipped with claws about as long as a person.  Standing and facing the creature with her gun hanging slack at her side and a vacant expression on her face was Kat.  She stared at the creature, seeming mesmerized, not even blinking.  It appeared to stare back with the same sort of intensity, although it was difficult to be sure of this as it lacked both irises and pupils.  Confusion reigned in Cloud's mind.  Where had it come from?  Why was it attacking them?  Amidst the confusion, one thing was still clear… it was now an obstacle between Aeris and him.  He tensed himself and began casting a spell. 

With a burst of curses that Cid would have envied, Barret leveled his gun arm at it and opened fire.  Spurred on by Barret's move, the rest began either attacking or spell casting in whatever manner they could use to reach it.  None of it seemed to have any particular effect, and they were just beginning to worry when it vanished.  It didn't swim off or circle around or even drop to the ground.  It simply disappeared.  Everyone waited tensely for a few seconds before the Highwind brought their attention to a more pressing matter by veering wildly and throwing them all off of their feet.  They were just struggling to right themselves when a sudden impact jarred them back to their former positions as the Highwind hit the ground sharply.

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Half an hour and many angry exclamations from Cid later, they were seated on the ground outside the Highwind discussing what could be done.  Cid was absolutely livid at the damage to his precious ship: the underside was badly dented from the collision, the side the monster had been nudging was slightly scraped, and the rudder was broken off entirely, the monster having chewed it viciously.  It was definitely unfit to fly in, and there was no way Cid was going to be able to repair it without materials.  The only logical solution everyone could come to was to walk to the nearest town in hopes of finding the things Cid needed, since there were no trees or any other usable material in the snowy landscape around them.  Cid was still grumbling continually about what good aim the monster had had in hitting the most essential piece of steering equipment that had been available to it, and Kat was stubbornly insisting that it had been aiming intentionally, which was doing nothing to calm Cid down.

"How the @#$% could it have been aiming intentionally?  It's a @#$% monster!!! It's not intelligent!!!" he shouted for the umpteenth time.

"Well, why not?  It looked big enough to have at least a few brains to me.  Besides, it doesn't take a lot of brains to follow commands!!!"

"And what makes you think it was following commands?!"

"Well, it was too big to be an ordinary type of monster.  Therefore, the most likely option is some kind of summoned monster."

"There could certainly be a regular monster that big!"

"Possible, but not likely, and we surely would have seen it coming, unless it was summoned straight to that spot and didn't COME from anywhere."

"Why would anyone bother to summon a monster to attack us?  And that's one NONE of us have ever seen before…"

"There are probably lots of kinds of summonings that you've never seen because of how rare summoning materia is, there's probably only one of that particular materia in the world."

"That didn't answer my first question!"

"How the heck should I know the answer?!"

"You seem to know quite a lot else, why not?"

"That's-"

"Knock it off, you two!" Cloud snapped in irritation.  "Arguing is not getting us anywhere, and while your first points were worth thinking about, now you're just being childish.  It's entirely possible that it WAS a summoned monster, but like Cid, I would really like to know who's got it in for us.  However, I see no way that fighting about it is going to provide the answer, whereas continuing forward almost certainly will." Everyone else contributed nods and murmurs of agreement, but as they continued walking, almost identical worried expressions covered their faces.  He mused unhappily over what Katsako had said.  It seemed to him the most likely option that it had been summoned, but he was confused… who or what would bother?  He tried to hide his concern, doing his best to look calm and confident for the rest of the group.  But deep inside, he wondered…

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By the time they had finally reached a town, the sun was setting off to the left and the sky was darkening.  Lights showed in the windows of homes and all shops were closed for the night. 

"There's no way we'll be able to get what we need for the Highwind until the stores open again tomorrow.  And even if we did, we'd have to walk through the dark to get back to it, and after what happened to make us need to make this little side trip in the first place, that's something I'd rather avoid.  How about finding an inn for the night and hitting the stores first thing in the morning?" Tifa suggested reasonably.

"Sounds good.  After all, I don't think any of us expected the walk to take that long, and we could probably all use a break by now," Rude responded quietly.  Reno and Elena both gave him meaningful glances, and Kat looked a little puzzled at the three of them.  Cloud hid his smile behind his hand, trying to disguise it as a yawn.  It was the first time he had really smiled that day, and it was a remarkable relief.  He suppressed a grin as he remembered the conversation he had overheard just outside of Gongaga a year ago.  The Turks… back when it had been Reno, Rude, Elena, and Tseng… when he had unintentionally overheard Reno and Rude discussing who they liked and Elena had come walking up, angry at them for being so childish.  Apparently the other three remembered that time too, because Reno and Elena were fixing Rude with piercing looks which he was stubbornly ignoring.

"Um, I hate to interrupt a staring contest, but can we get moving NOW?  I'm TIRED…" Yuffie whined plaintively.

"Oh, right, of course," said Elena, still shooting sideways glances at Rude.

They found the nearest inn and rented two rooms, one for the men and one for the women, which was really all a place that small had to offer.  Still, the innkeeper, a friendly, matronly woman, offered them supper before they settled down to bed, which they gladly accepted.  Then they all said their goodnights and went up to bed, with promises that whoever woke up first would get everyone else up too so they could get the stuff they needed and back to the Highwind as soon as possible.

Up in their room, all of the men were discussing Kat's theory that the monster was a summoned one.  They agreed that it was possible, even likely, but had no idea who could have sent it or what motive they could have had in doing so.  Deciding that this wasn't accomplishing anything, they agreed to sleep on it and turned out the lights.  Cloud reminded himself of his newfound resolve to not worry about what he couldn't help immediately and actually managed to relax and achieve at least a minimal state of peace of mind.  All was silent and peaceful for about ten minutes, and they were beginning to drift off to sleep when four female screams jolted them into full wakefulness. 


	4. Diverging Paths

_Ok, I haven't written in a while, I lost my inspiration at some point, but it's back now, at least temporarily.  Note: special thanks to Saffire Raynius and AuroraDragonKaya.  Actually, I _had _put Midgar, sorry about that, and thanks to both of you for the correction.  It's been three or four years since I last saw the ending of the game, so I tend to get lots of later details confused.  Constructive corrections are always welcome, and so is constructive criticism, but if it's too harsh I cry.  Thanks and enjoy!  By the way, I expect this chapter to be pretty short--it's more of a set-up for the upcoming chapters than anything else, and is also a test to see if anyone is still interested.  But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you off without reviewing!_

IV. Diverging Paths 

The screams yanked all eight men out of the sleep they had just been sinking into, jerking them out of bed with a vengeance.  They recognized the four voices and there was a frantic scramble for weapons as all of them raced for the door.  Pelting out into the hallway, they ran full speed for the staircase that would take them to the floor where the women had their room.   The screams had been replaced by angry yells, accompanied by crashing noises and the sound of gunshots.  Simultaneously, drawing from reserves they didn't know they had, they increased their speed, taking the stairs two at a time.  Reaching the door, they hardly paused at finding it locked--Rude kicked it in without hesitation.  It opened into a small room, a sort of sitting room in front of the bedroom, separated by a flimsy painted screen that was slightly ajar.  They strode into the room as one unit and pushed the screen aside before stopping dead at the sight that greeted them.  There were four beds, two against each wall, and two night tables, one between each bed.  At one point there seemed to have been lamps on them, but those now lay in shards by the floor nearby.  One of the tables was overturned, and the packs that each girl had packed her things in still lay neatly by each bed.  However, the owners of the packs were nowhere in sight.  A cold wind blew into the room from the broken window, chilling all the occupants.  

"They're not here, as you've probably noticed," said a cheerful voice from beside the window.  They all started, as a man that no one had noticed before stepped further into the light.  He looked young, perhaps in his early twenties, although it was difficult to tell for certain.  His hair was long and black, and was pulled back into a low ponytail at the base of his neck.  It was the kind of black that ashes are, rather than obsidian, absorbing the light rather than reflecting it.  His eyes were a very pale brown, almost golden in tinge.  There was something very unnerving about his smile.

"Who the bloody hell are you, an' what have you done with them?!" Barret roared furiously.

"Temper, temper!" chided the man, still smiling.  "You can call me Zeshin if you like.  And if by 'them' you are referring to the four ladies who were previously occupying this room-"

"You know damn well who I'm talking about!" 

"Alright, alriiiiight.  Jeez, no patience whatsoever, and also lacking in any appreciation of drama," he looked briefly disappointed.  "Very well--they're not here because I took them somewhere else"- here he smiled beatifically as if he was granting them a very gracious concession with that bit of information-"and if you meet me in Kalm within… oh… say about a week, and swear upon your honor- because I know that you have enough good sense to see that this incident could be repeated if you do not- that you will halt your ridiculous quest, they will be returned to you unharmed.  Sound fair?"

At this outrageous statement, one member of their party lost all semblance of his composure.  The room echoed with a beastly roar as Chaos stretched its red wings.  It charged forward, slashing out wildly with all claws.  Zeshin paled, and his eyes narrowed, but he moved very quickly, dodging, avoiding the vicious swipes with only a small scratch on his cheek as proof of the encounter.  

"Perhaps you have forgotten in your haste that without me, it is entirely unlikely that you will ever see them again," Zeshin said coldly, without any trace of his former amusement, "but at any rate, I am reminding you now that another such episode is strongly ill-advised.  I will be seeing you in Kalm in a week's time.  Until we meet again…"  He smiled again, an icy, cruel smile, and then turned and jumped out of the window before anyone could stop him.

Cloud shook his head, dispelling the shock in favor of the need to think clearly.  Obviously, the lives of the four girls were in grave danger, so he needed to pursue them before it was too late!  But that meant abandoning the quest for the Phoenix Staff, and if he got there too late and somebody else had already used it… but if he didn't go to Kalm, the four would die!  Four lives against one… and who was he to judge?  How was he supposed to decide the value of a life?  He buried his head in his hands as he tried to think clearly.  Suddenly, he was jolted out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder.  He looked up into the face of the person connected to the arm to see Vincent, restored to normal, standing next to him.  His face was calm once more, but his eyes still smoldered with fury.

"We must part ways now.  Some of us must go to Kalm with all speed, and the rest of us must continue north with equal haste.  That way, we can save both…"

"Of course!" Cloud exclaimed, his face brightening considerably.  "Why didn't I think of that before…" he wondered aloud.

"Because you were already convinced that there had to be a sacrifice.  I'll head south to look for the girls… I have failed them by not managing to protect them, so now I have to make it up to them.  Who will come with me?"

"Aw, shucks… might as well, I guess… after all, Tifa helped me with Avalanche back then when I don't think anyone else would have.  I owe her at least that much…" Barret muttered.

"I'll go, too.  The Highwind's back that way… maybe we can fix her up on the way back to help us go faster!" Cid put in hopefully.

"…I'll come.  Two of the girls are Turks, after all, so at least one of us should be off looking for them." Rude said quietly.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's your ONLY reason," Reno muttered, an obnoxious grin plastered on his face.  "But anyway, that's not the point.  That means that for it to be evenly divided, the rest of us have to head north.  Works for me, I guess.  That okay with everyone?" he asked the rest.  Murmurs of assent came from everyone.  "Allright, then I advise we set out in the morning.  After all this, I definitely don't want to be walking in the dark, especially in unknown territory…"  Everyone agreed again, so they all headed back to their room for an uneasy night's rest.  They were all up early the next morning and set off in their separate directions after saying brief goodbyes.

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Cid, Barret, Vincent, and Rude head south to Kalm at a breakneck pace, chasing the mysterious Zeshin, while Cloud, Red XIII, Cait Sith, and Reno rush north with hopes of finding the legendary Phoenix Staff and worries about the interference they have already experienced.  But meanwhile, Tifa, Yuffie, Elena, and Katsako have disappeared without a trace.  Where are they, and just what is happening to them?!?!

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Choose a scenario, kupo!  Yep, I've been playing FF6 again, and that's where I got this idea from… please review and tell me which part you want next… Cid's, Cloud's, or Tifa's.  This is in a desperate hope to illicit more reviews, and I really hope it works… please people, work with me here!!!


	5. Eyes Like Steel Stars

Ok, umm… well, major thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers, and a gigantic and sincere apology to all of you.  I admit it… I'm a lazy bum.  But I'm finally going to update, and after several months of careful plotting, I have at least a vague idea where this story is going from here!  So, with any luck and few school projects, updates should now be more consistent.  Really.  Ok, I know you guys don't believe me, and you're probably right, so I'm just going to shut up and give you the next chapter now, alright?

**V.      Eyes Like Steel Stars**

"It's this way!  I'm sure of it!" Cid yelled in a cheerful voice, as he continued to plow through the snow several yards ahead of the rest of them.  Rude and Vincent looked skeptical, and Barret was cursing under his breath.

"Cid… how can you be so certain?" asked Vincent, finally fed up with the long and apparently fruitless search.  "Everything looks the SAME."  Cid turned around and directed a death glare at his companions.  

"The Highwind is MY ship.  I wouldn't forget where we left her, alright!?  We're almost there."

"If you say so…"  They had been hiking for the better part of three hours, and even the mildest-mannered of the group was finding his temper beginning to fray.  They had risen with the sun, and had searched the first shop they found for parts they could use to mend the Highwind.  Although the parts that they had managed to procure looked completely useless to them, Cid swore fervently that he could fix his ship with them.  The only problem NOW was how to find it.  It had been agreed that the Highwind was necessary for them to reach their destination in time, so they now hunted for it with something that was rapidly approaching desperation, a task which was made more difficult by the complete lack of landmarks in the desolate terrain; there was nothing to be seen anywhere but blinding snow.  To add to their worries, they had seen no sign of tracks anywhere, so what route Zeshin had taken was completely unknown to them, eliminating any chance they might have had to head him off before he reached Kalm.  The Highwind therefore remained their only option.

Lost in his musings, Vincent was brought to an abrupt halt when he bumped into Cid, who had stopped suddenly for no apparent reason.  He stared blankly at the ground in front of them, his wide-eyed expression a combination of shock and horror.  "But it was right here…" he mumbled, his anguished whisper trailing off into silence.  Confused, Vincent stepped around him to look at the ground also, thinking that if Cid had gotten them lost and wasted precious time there was about to be a murder.  However, those thoughts were brought up short at the sight that greeted him.  All he had been seeing for the last three hours was snow, but on this hillside there was a huge gaping hole in the frost, showing dark, barren rocky soil.  In fact, the hole looked almost airship-shaped, as if an airship, heated by the energy created from friction with the air, had landed there and melted the snow, and then remained there for some time after, preventing the new snow from reaching that spot.  And though Vincent by no means knew the ship as well as Cid did, he was willing to bet quite a bit that that thawed spot had been made by the Highwind.

"What the $%*$!!!!" exclaimed Cid, seeming to have recovered slightly from his initial distress and rapidly returning to normal.  "It was in no condition to fly!  So how could it be gone?!"  The others stood stunned, unable to answer the question that they themselves had been wondering as well.

"We should start moving again.  We have no time to waste, so we can contemplate this as we go." Rude said quietly, with an undercurrent of urgency in his voice.  "We've lost our transportation, so we'll have to head to a port and get a ship back.  It's the best option we have left."  Much as everyone else disliked the idea, no one could think of anything better.  Cid could find no way to convince them to let him wait there and hope the Highwind returned, nor could he justify it to himself, but he was nonetheless livid as he followed the others, now in the rear of the party.

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Costa del Nievo was much the same as its counterpart in all but the weather.  It, too was a bustling town with a considerably sized business in tourism and many souvenirs.  However, Barret and his companions were not interested in souvenirs.  They wanted a ship, and they wanted it NOW.  Four days had passed since they had discovered the Highwind missing, and now only three days of the precious week were left.  All of them were anxious, and the additional strain of being told that no more ships were leaving this evening was not helping.  The helpful girl that managed the ship schedules had noticed their stress and had thoughtfully directed them to an inn where they could spend the night, with the added information that the next ship would be leaving in the morning.  Although it took a great deal of effort to thank her for the unwelcome news, Barret managed.  Her instructions were very straightforward, so he found the inn in no time.

The Dragon's Claw looked like all inns that doubled as taverns, with a sign painted in fading colors outside, and built from wood that was now well-worn.  Judging from the amount of noise and light coming from the inside, it was also quite popular.  The four of them trudged up the three creaking steps leading to the door and entered.  They were hit by a wave of warmth, along with the smells of beer and too many people gathered in one place.  They reluctantly checked in, despite their mutual desire to avoid such raucous company, and with equal reluctance agreed to wait there for food; their hunger overrode their desire to be alone.  They chose one of two remaining empty tables and settled down with the sincere hope of not being bothered until their food was ready.  They were exhausted and spirits were at an all-time low.

However, their wish was not to be granted.  A large group of men, obviously drunk, was eyeing a woman sitting quietly in a corner and drinking.  As soon as she finished and rose to leave, the gang made their move, swiftly surrounding her.  The four men sighed and looked at each other, knowing that none of them could just abandon the strange woman to the men.  They stood silently, and took up positions near the group.  

She was outnumbered, with the ten of them surrounding her in a formation of five by two.  She looked up distractedly and frowned, not seeming to understand what they wanted.  The front five leered, and began to move closer, one of them reaching for her.  Comprehension dawned in her eyes and she smiled glowingly as she punched him in the stomach.  His eyes widened in shock as he doubled over, and the others roared in rage and lunged for her.  Barret acted, punching one in the head and knocking him unconscious and clobbering another with his gun arm, putting him out cold as well.  Looking up, he saw that the others had fared likewise, so eight of the ten men where down.

All of them turned towards the woman, who punched the man she was facing in the nose and then again on the side of the neck.  He collapsed, and she turned back to her first opponent, who was recovering from her first attack at just about the time that she swept a leg around and connected solidly with the side of his head, dropping him where he stood.  She turned to face the other opponents and saw the four of them standing there with the additional eight bodies littered around them.  She stared cautiously at them, attempting to determine if they were a threat as well, and they returned the glare with equal caution.  She was medium height, slender, with long, pale golden hair tied back in a braid and eyes that weren't so much gray as steel-colored and seemed to look into their very souls.  Then her eyes widened suddenly.

"You!  I've been waiting for you four!  I must speak to you privately, NOW!" she exclaimed, and her surprise at finding them so suddenly was only surpassed by their surprise at her sudden and enigmatic words.

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Well?  Now aren't all you people pleased that I finally updated?  You can show me your ever-welcome appreciation with REVIEWS!  Lots of them!!!  J


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